Café Staff
The Café Project Team consists of the Project Director and a Site Coordinator for each of the four towns, a science consultant, web developer and a college coordinator. The Site Coordinators have the critical responsibility for working with and supporting the local members of the Youth Leadership Team to facilitate the logistics needed to ensure successful Café meetings, fostering an active program of recruiting and outreach, and maintaining effective communications. They work closely with each other and the project director to enable close coordination among the activities in the four towns. The Science Consultant will help interested students to produce Café-related follow-up products that are substantive, well-crafted, and scientifically valid, will work with the Café scientist-presenters to develop personalized bios and engaging essays that will anchor the Café session and the projects that unfold from them, and will continue to work with the presenters to engage them in follow-up activities with the students and in the Café-related blogs. The college coordinator works with local colleges to recruit undergraduate mentors. Members of the Project Team are:
Michelle Hall Project Director and Los Alamos Site Coordinator
Michelle is a geophysicist and science educator who has worked in both industry and academia. Her company promotes science and technology literacy. The company has program development and management expertise in scientist-teacher partnerships, curriculum development, K-16 teacher professional development and experience providing science research experiences for science teachers and students. When not working she enjoys running, reading and cooking.
Jeremy Espinoza College Coordinator
My name is Jeremy Espinoza. I was born in Santa Fe but grew up in Espanola Valley. I graduated from Espanola Valley High School, and then attended Northern New Mexico College, obtaining an Associate's Degree in Biology. Recently I graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in Biology from New Mexico Tech. I have done various undergraduate research in biology at various places, including LANL, and the University of Oregon. I am currently working as a Chemistry Lab Technician at Northern New Mexico College.
Felice Gurule Site Coordinator, Espanola
Felice works with the Northern New Mexico GEAR UP/EnLACE Collaborative with students from Espanola Valley High, Pojoaque Valley High and Capitol High. GEAR UP stands for Gaining Early Awareness & Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. EnLACE stands for Engaging Latinos Communities for Education. She works strongly with the parents and students to provide educational materials, workshops, Parent Centers, and tutoring services. She is currently working towards a Degree through New Mexico Highlands University in Elementary Education/History K-8. She is an active single parent with two sons, one of which is in the 1st grade and the other who is in the 7th grade. Felice has worked in the classroom since 1993, 21st Century Assistant Coordinator , AVID Teacher/Tutor/Trainer and spends most of her free time volunteering at her sons' schools.
Michael Mayhew Science Consultant.
Following early career phases in academia and at NASA, Mike spent many years as a program manager in geophysics—and later geoscience education--at the National Science Foundation. His chief interest is in fostering public understanding of science. He travels regularly to New Mexico from his home in Ocean City, Maryland.
Jan Richter Site Coordinator, Albuquerque
For the last three summers, Jen has found employment at the Museum of Natural History and Science as an intern with the Student Ecology Research Program. SERP involved taking kids from different high schools around the state into the wilderness in their own backyards, such as deep into the Gila or the Guadalupe Mountains. As part of SERP, we would take the kids camping and hiking on multi-day trips, all the while learning about basic ecology and environmental chemistry. While she has been involved with Café Scientifique for only a short while, Jen already sees two refreshing changes from camping with teenagers: 1)The food is much better, and 2)She no longer has to worry about anyone getting lost in the wilderness and eaten by mountain lions. In her spare time, Jen is working on her dissertation in the American Studies Department at the University of New Mexico, which examines the intersections of the public, science, and technology, especially in the ways that new nuclear technologies affect small communities. She also teaches courses at UNM on Environment, Science and Technology, as well as the Culture of Sports in America.
Aviva Sussman Site Coordinator, Santa Fe.
Aviva is a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Prior to her 2004 arrival in New Mexico, she was at the University of Arizona where she earned a PhD in geology/geophysics. Aviva and her mountain biking husband, Scott, live in Santa Fe. They own several old VWs and have a cat. When she is not working at LANL or on Cafe activities, Aviva can be found on a trail or in her kitchen making calzones.
Crystal Ray Web Designer
Crystal is currently a student and her interests are always changing. One day, she’s interested in Engineering. Another day, in architecture and yet another day, in writing. After so much time, She's still trying to make up her mind. Perhaps an Engi-architect-writer? Maybe someday, she'll finally decide. But for now, she's having fun learning web design and development – a little hobby she picked up in her freshman year at MIT and enjoys doing from time to time.
